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Mental Toughness for Coaches and Their Athletes

Written by Deborah Dubree

Topic: HappinessPublished October 28, 2011
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As a coach you have invested time, money and energy into finding, developing and honing your athletes. Athletes practice hard and build their bodies for strength, endurance and speed . . . but do not forget their mind. You do not want to leave their Mental Toughness to chance!

Rookies and Young Athletes

How an athlete thinks and feels directly affects their level of performance and their teams win / loss record.

One bad call, missed play or negative comment can bring an athlete’s winning performance to a screeching halt. When athletes feel scared, stressed, worried or confused they often wonder if they’re good enough.

Who do they turn to when sharing what they’re thinking or feeling that could make them feel vulnerable and weak? Are you willing to wait and hope they get it all figured out? Are you going to “talk about it” at practice and provide philosophical advice really won’t help them? Or are you willing to invest in their future, and yours, today?

With ClearEdge they learn to:

  • Focus on what’s important and block out all the rest
  • Develop a Foundation for Success – to ensure confident, consistent and courageous performance
  • Breakthrough stress and frustration . . . and stay calm and loose under pressure
  • Develop balance on and off the playing field
  • Bounce back quickly after setbacks, bad calls and needless mistakes

Seasoned Pros

Even seasoned athletes can experience doubt, worry and self-worth issues. But what happens when an athlete loses their competitive edge or rhythm for consistent success? You cannot take back an underachieving season! Professionals need to play to the level of their SELF-Worth, not their paycheck.

Another thing that can trip up an athlete and send them into panic is change. The change can either be good or bad change, it is still change and can cause a player to panic.

You can’t afford to wait for them to get fired up, bounce back or get their head on straight. Protect your investment by ensuring your athletes stay top of their mental game and consistently manage their emotions for ultimate performance.

Coaches

As a coach you areconstantly under pressure. You are expected to coach your athletes, remain level-headed, boost morale, and make clear concise decisions under extreme pressure… but lest we forget that you are supposed to WIN too. That is a monumental assignment for anyone, especiallywhen you are expected to maintain this level of coaching day in and day out. This is a breeding ground for extreme stress.

How you think, feel and behave has an immediate and direct effect on your players and your win / loss record. Learn how to handle and minimize those stressful and critical moments on demand. When you take great care of you – your team and the win/loss record will benefit – and so will YOU.

Mental Discipline for Coaches: Sharpen Your Skills to:

  • Maximize your ability to Think Clearly and make Precise Decisions – when everything is on the line
  • Ask critical questions to positively Influence the Attitude and Effectiveness of your staff and team
  • Beat the Sense of Pressure, frustration and inner turmoil that can take you off your game
  • Condition yourself to Feel Confident in Any Situation
  • Discipline your mind to be in the ZONE … on demand.

Now is the time to prepare you and your athletes for greatness!

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Article Source: YourClearEdge.com

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